Tottenham are set for a massive summer of transition under Antonio Conte, yet according to reports, Spurs are now interested in a surprising player, AS Roma star Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
That’s according to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla, who claims that the former Arsenal winger could leave Jose Mourinho’s side this summer with a new deal at Roma yet to be agreed, with Spurs one of three clubs interested in the Armenian.
The news shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, though. Conte is a fan of signing experienced players, and Tottenham’s interest in Mkhitaryan, who has been impressive in Serie A over the past two seasons, lines up with the Italian’s ideology.
Whilst a concrete offer is still unknown for the former Arsene Wenger signing, HITC Sport look at five players Tottenham have signed over the years with strong links to Arsenal, who remain Spurs’ biggest rivals in the Premier League.
William Gallas
The only player to have represented the three biggest clubs in London in Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, William Gallas moved to Spurs in 2010 after his contract with the Gunners came to an end.
Initially handed a one-year contract, Gallas impressed in his debut season under Harry Redknapp, winning the defender a two-year extension until 2013. However, injuries were constant for the centre-back, and the former France international was also released by Tottenham at the end of his deal.
Emmanuel Adebayor
A player can rarely be despised by both Arsenal and Tottenham fans, yet Emmanuel Adebayor managed to do just that after the Togo international’s explosive spell in the Premier League.
The attacker infuriated Arsenal fans after running the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of them during his time for Manchester City, whilst Adebayor fell out with Mauricio Pochettino and the supporters in spectacular fashion after becoming a hero at White Hart Lane under Tim Sherwood.
Jan Vertonghen
Jan Vertonghen never played for Arsenal, but in the summer that the Belgian defender left for Tottenham, the centre-back rejected a contract offer from the Gunners to take his talents to the Emirates Stadium.
In a 2018 interview with the Mirror, the Tottenham cult hero revealed that he came close to signing for Arsenal in 2012, with Vertonghen’s agent meeting with the club to agree to a deal before the defender pulled the plug and opted to move to Spurs, a decision the now-Benfica star is grateful he made.
Matt Doherty
Another player who has never represented the Gunners but does have a link to the club, old tweets of Matt Doherty’s resurfaced when the Republic of Ireland signed for Tottenham showing the defender’s love for Arsenal.
https://twitter.com/SpursOfficial/status/1300025219214499842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1300025219214499842%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goal.com%2Fen%2Fnews%2Flove-arsenal-forever-doherty-forced-delete-awkward-tweets%2F72cuigw9h4q18zjife734936
What transpired was an incredible video from Tottenham’s social team of Doherty deleting the tweets mixed in with hilarious facial reactions from the defender, who no doubt would not have predicted when he was younger that he would one day become a £20m signing for Spurs.
Harry Kane
Finally, we reach Harry Kane. The Tottenham superstar is a bona fide legend at the club and could realistically replace Alan Shearer as the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer. However, things could have been different for the England captain.
The striker spent one year of his childhood in Arsenal’s youth academy, with a famous photo of Kane as a kid celebrating the Invincibles season out on the street in full Gunners attire something that has been used in petty social media wars over the years.
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